Africa Today

The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo has said that at least 43 people were killed when soldiers broke up a demonstration against UN peacekeepers in the eastern city of Goma on Wednesday. We ask what's behind the chronic instability in the DRC? Around 80 percent of all farms in Africa are tilled by smallholder farmers. They produce most of the food we eat on the continent - and yet they get very little recognition for what they do. We hear from Wangari Kuria, the founder of Farmer on Fire. She is challenging the leaders currently meeting in Nairobi at the first Africa Climate Summit.And we do a deep dive on the Bongos; the family that has held power in Gabon since 1967.

As the first ever Africa Climate Summit begins in Nairobi, we hear from a community suing the Kenyan government over climate damage.We look at the serious danger to human life posed by air pollution in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos.Plus, can Kenyan police help bring stability to Haiti?

Many buildings in the centre of the South African city of Johannesburg, where a horrific fire has killed more than 70 people, are deemed unfit to live in. Yet these old blocks, abandoned by their owners or the city authorities, are full of families often paying rent to criminal gangs who run them. The buildings, which lack running water, toilets or a legal electricity connection, are then said to have been "hijacked". We find out what this means. A private plane found with more than $5m in cash, fake gold, guns and ammunition on board, is at the centre of a deepening investigation in the Zambian capital, Lusaka. The African Climate Summit will take place in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi next week, featuring speakers from Kenya’s government, the African Union and the United Nations. Will the event be just hot air or will it provide a solid plan of action?

At least 15 truck drivers stuck on the Egypt-Sudan border have recently died from heat stroke.  Hundreds have been stuck at the border due to bureaucratic red tape causing congestion What are the medium and long term implications of the coup in Gabon?Plus we meet Koyo Kouoh, the woman in charge of the biggest museum of contemporary art in Africa.

Senior army officers in Gabon announced a coup shortly after President Ali Bongo's re-election was announced. One of the BBC's team spends 24 hours with Tunisia's coast guard as it finds people desperate to cross continents. How to win an argument? We debate the pros and cons of the art of debating with high school students.

Sierra Leone is grappling with a serious substance crisis. A cheap and illegal synthetic drug known as Kush that is wreaking havoc among the youth.Around 500 schools have been shutdown in Cameroon. Will they open in time for the new school year? Plus what's life like as the great granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie?

The runner-up in Zimbabwe's presidential election, Nelson Chamisa, has accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa of carrying out an electoral coup. Former Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria chairperson Attahiru Muhammadu Jega is leading the Carter Center's observer mission to Zimbabwe. He talks about his role as electoral observer. It has been more than a month since the military in Niger overthrew former President Bazoum. Burkina Faso and Mali have also been living under military governments that came to power through coups. In today's episode of Focus on Africa we ask have the juntas there delivered on their promises and what has life been like for the ordinary citizens ? We speak with Ghanaian actor Majid Michel about how he coped with losing his voice after a car accident in 2015 and the secret to his longevity in the industry.

The BRICS bloc of developing nations agreed this week s to admit six new countries. The countries Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - are set to join in January. Can this counter Western dominance?As thousands of UN troops speed up their pull out of Mali, despite a deteriorating security situation. We talk to BBC Arabic’s Feras Kilani the first journalist to travel to Northern Mali since French forces ended their military operation there two years agoPlus why are more airlines adopting the use of sustainable aviation fuel? We hear from an expert based in Kenya

Wagner boss Prigozhin is presumed dead after Russia plane crash. In his last address, he said the Wagner group is making Africa "more free". His presumed death received little media attention or official reactions in Mali and the Central African Republic where thousands of mercenaries are active. So in today's episode, we ask what would be the impact of Prigozhin’s presumed death on Wagner in Africa.Also, in Tunisia dozens of environment activists are appealing harsh prison sentences handed down after protesting against a dangerous landfill site.And how is climate change affecting livestock? More than one billion cows around the world could experience heat stress by the end of the century.

Haiti has been rocked by deadly violence since the assassination of the country’s President Jovenel Moïse two years ago. A Kenyan delegation has held meetings with Haitian police officials, weeks after the Kenyan government offered to lead a multinational team in tackling the country’s extreme gang violence. We hear from a local businessman on what life is like for ordinary citizens.In the aftermath of the coup in Niger, false claims and misinformation are being shared online, adding to the tensions over the country's future. We look into some of the widely shared claims.How can an entire nation's history be conserved? An ambitious initiative in Nigeria is currently in progress, involving the digitisation of all newspapers published since the country's independence in 1960.

Saudi border guards are accused of the mass killing of migrants along the Yemeni border in a new report by Human Rights Watch. The report says hundreds of people, many of them Ethiopians who cross war-torn Yemen to reach Saudi Arabia, have been shot dead. We delve into the intricacies of coup attempts, as David Otto, Director for Geneva Centre for Africa Security & Strategic Studies shares insight on the crucial factors that determine their success or failure.Plus we speak to Nigerian music producer and artist Eclipse Nkasi about the ethical way of using AI to produce music.

South Africa to host Brics summit but Russia’s President Putin will only join by video link. On the agenda global economic and security matters and the creation of new financial institutions.More than 1,400 people starve to death in Ethiopia's northern Tigray since food aid was suspended because of theftAnd Ghanaian immunologist Yaw Bediako on how to expand research and keep African scientists on the continent.

Zimbabwe prepares to hold its second election since the 2017 overthrow of President Robert Mugabe, with many disenchanted at a lack of progress under his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa. Many Zimbabweans face economic hardship, and some young people are turning to drugs to fill the void created by a lack of opportunities.Plus, we look at the impact of the World Bank saying Uganda won’t receive new loans from the institution, as a result of the country passing a stringent anti-LGBTQ+ law in May. Uganda’s government has called the announcement unjust and hypocritical.And we hear reactions from Ghana to the new government-imposed 10% tax on betting and lottery winnings. The move has not been well received by gamblers, but the authorities say they need the extra revenue.

Libya's political chaos continues. Two powerful militias clashed this week in the capital Tripoli. Calm was restored but over 50 people were killed, and more than 140 were injured. A group of opposition parties in South Africa have been meeting to form an alliance to dislodge the ruling African National Congress from power. But why was the EFF excluded? And a petitioner calls on members of parliament in Kenya to ban the use of popular social media app TikTok. He argues that the application is contributing to the erosion of cultural and religious morals.

After the military junta ruling Niger closed the country’s airspace, we look at the potential implications for the country, and for aviation in Africa more broadly. The move will force commercial aircraft to find alternative routes, increasing flight times and prices for passengers.Plus, we take a look at why Ethiopia is desperate to establish permanent access to a sea port, and why recent comments from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have provoked the ire of the country’s coastal neighbours.And we look at some of the factors behind the increase in the number of men in Kenya choosing to get vasectomies.

We speak to a farmer who had to flee Sudan due to the ongoing conflict, while the UN is warning that 20 million people in the country face severe acute hunger.What makes a good leader? We'll find out from young Burundian leadership coach Iris Irumva.And we bring you the second part of our special looking at the story behind the prison escape of convicted criminal Thabo Bester, a case that has transfixed South Africa.

A group of data labellers in Kenya want parliament to step in to offer protection from mental trauma caused by reviewing harmful content.Plus, the story of the girl in Mauritania who was arrested for blasphemy over an essay she wrote for school.And how the case of escaped convict Thabo Bester is shining a light on prison privatisation in South Africa.

ECOWAS leaders have ended their emergency summit on the coup in Niger. They say all options are still on the table. They have also called for the immediate activation of a standby force. A new report accuses the Angolan police of serious human rights abuses. And a global survey explores the hopes and aspirations of the world's youth.

Endless queues and empty bakery stalls. Earlier this week, around 200 Tunisian bakers staged a sit-in after a government decision to stop selling them subsidised flour, a move threatening the closure of hundreds of bakeries.Five people, including a police officer have died in violent protests related to the taxi strike in Cape Town, South Africa. We'll hear a first hand account of what it's like to live through the Cape Town minibus taxi strike in South Africa.And we'll also hear from the Nigerian hit singer Flavour who is back on tour in Europe after eight years away. He sheds positive light around crossing the boundaries of tribalism through music.

With the coup leaders in Niger refusing demands to hand power back to the elected government, the West African regional block ECOWAS is considering options including a military invasion of the country. ECOWAS is due to hold an extraordinary summit in Nigeria on Thursday to discuss its next move.Plus, we speak to the reporter behind a new BBC investigation into the 'spiritual healers' sexually abusing women in Morocco and Sudan. And we hear about what the African Development Bank is doing to improve access to clean water and sanitation on the continent.